Automatic draft-controller.



A. W. ARNOLD. AUTOMATIC DRAFT CONTROLLER. APPLIOATION FILED JAN.zo,1911.

Patented July 15, 1913.

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AfL/ome) COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. n. c.

A. W. ARNOLD. AUTOMATIC DRAFT CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED mL-2o, 1911.

1,067,777. Patented Ju1y15, 1913.

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COLUMBIA pLANOmMPH Co.. wAsmNuruN. u. `c.

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ARTHUR W. ARNOLD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC DRAFTCO1\TTROLLER.

i,oe7,777.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR 1V. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Automatic Draft-Controller, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to that type of devices described and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States issued on the 20th day of September, 1910, to

Safety and Economy Damper Company,-

on the several figures of the drawings simi-l lar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

The main support for the device of controller comprises a shell or casing 10, of any suitable construction, and which may be se` cured to any flue out through which hot products of combustion are adapted to pass, but it will be understood thatin some instances the shell may be the 'line structure itself. When the shell is an element separate from the iiue, it may be secured to the flue in any convenient manner, as by separable fastenings 11. rlhe shell or flue may be of any suitable form in cross section, either circular, elliptical, or angular.

The controller comprises one or more wings 12 movable within the shell on as many axes 13 extending transversely of the shell, the shafts or axes 13 being journaled in bearings on opposite walls of the shell. Since the shafts have bearing points independent of each other on the shell only, there is no possibility for any deposit or clogging, preventing intended free movement of the wings. While two such shafts and attached wings are shown, it is obvious that Specification of Letters Patent.

Application ied January 20, 1911.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Serial No. 603,651.

in certain forms of flues a single shaft and wing might be employed in preference. As sho-wn each shaft has rigidly, though preferably removably, connected thereto an arm 1a, which projects `vfrom the shaft in practically the plane of the wing of the same, so that when the controller is open the wings are close together on one side of their axes and the arms are close together on the other side.

Counterweight means of any suitable nature may be connected to either or both of the aforesaid arms 14. As shown said means comprises a weight 15 of variable heft combined with or suspended from a bar 1G extending horizontally to a considerable distance on both sides of the weight 15, the bar in turn being connected to the arms 14: by links 17. By virtue of the foregoing counterweiglit connections it is feasible and frequently desirable to so adjust the links 17 to the bar 16 and arms 14 that the wings and arms may be practically vertical or in line with the axis of the flue and yet provide that a very light draft will cause the wings to swing apart toward their closed posit-ion. The links being connected to the bar at points far distant from the middle, their pull on the arms, even when the arms are close together, may be approximately at right angles thereto, and as the bar moves downwardly bodily and the arms swing through arcs of circles it is possible for said links to continue pulling upon the arms in substantially the same direction as at first.

Under these conditions the weight is'practically as effective on the arms when they are upright as when they approach their horizontal position. This will provide for wide-open'wings and at. the same time insure quick and certain operation of the controller even under the influence of a light draft. The effective leverage of each arm may be varied by adjusting the link toward or from its center of oscillation, and the direction of pull from the bar to the arm may be varied by shifting the point of cone nection of the link along the series of holes or notches 16. The weight 15 is shown as comprising individual removable weight elements 15, as one means to vary the heft thereof.

The extent of closing movement of the controller Wings may be determined in any suitable manner, to provide for more or less free flue space when the Wings are closed as far as they may go for any particular adjustment. I provide in this instance a bumper 18 rigidly connected to the shell 10 and comprising parts of stops 18L extending outwardly into the path of and adapted to be impinged by the arms 14. rIhe bumper post 19 is provided With a slot 19 and a series of alined holes 19, and also With a space 19C to accon'nnodate the shafts 13. To secure the bumper to the shell a stud 2O engages in any of said holes, and a bolt 21 passing through the slot clamps the bumper rigidly in place at any desired distance from the shafts 13 and hence so as to vary the swing of the arms and Wings.

The above-described peculiar relation between the arms 14 and the counterweight means provides a very easy and free movement of the Wings. There is a tendency, therefore, for the impact between the arms and the stops to be objectionably noisy, especially, as I have observed in extensive practice, when the Wings are subjected to irregular outside atmospheric conditions. To meet and obviate this tendency in a cheap, compact, and effective manner I pro- ,vide cushioning means, shown herein as a dash pot 22 associated with the arms 14. The cylinder 23 may conveniently be secured to the cross bar 18b of the bumper by means of a stem 24, the upper end of which is bent outwardly at 25 and provided Wit-h a guide hole 25a. The bottom of the cylinder is closed, and the piston 26 operates toward and from the same With a sufiiciently close t to prevent too rapid movement of the arms and Wings, the piston rod 27 being connected to the arms through links 28 attached to the piston rod at 29 and pivoted to a pair of studs 30 extending outwardly from the arms sufliciently far to permit free movement of the piston rod and links 28 in a plane parallel to the plane of the arms and counter-Weight means. By supporting the dash pot from the bumper ample free space is provided for operation of the Weight, and since the bottom is the effective end of the cylinder it maintains a practically uniform relation to or distance from the lower limitof movement of the arms 14k in all adjustments of the bumper. The upper end of' the piston rod 27 being guided in the hole 2. a. there is no possibilit-y of binding of the pistonA due to uneven pulls or thrusts on the links 28. Obviously any convenient variation in the form` of bumper may be employed, and the dash pot may be otherwise supported than on the bumper .structure In some instances it is desirable to lock the Wings temporarily from operation, and

to accomplish this I show at 8l a thumb screw which may be turned so as to bind upon the piston rod 27 and' thereby hold the same, and hence the Wings, in any desired position.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified form of bearing, comprisingv an arm or bracket 2,22 carried by the shell or flue and extending outwardly therefrom to a considerable distance1 whereby the actual bearing points may be spaced Well from the heat and may be of a more delicate nature than would be possible other Wise. I employ this form of Wing support especially in the larger stack structures, and hence provide practically anti-friction bearings for the same.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention, but intending not to be limited thereto except as. may be required by the prior art, I claim:

1. The hereindescribed automatic draft controller comprising, in combination, a pivoted wing, an arm connected thereto, a counterweight of variable heft connected to the arm, a bumper to limit the extent of movement of the arm and counterweight, and cushioning means connected to said arm to govern its rate of' movement and impact against the bumper.

2. The hereindescribed automatic draft controller comprising, in combination, a pair of' Wings, a pair of arms, counter- Weight means of variable heft connected to the arms, a bumper adapted to be impinged directly by the armsto limit the extent of movement of the arms, and a dash pot to regula-te the force ofthe impact of said arms upon the bumper.

3. The hereind-escribed automatic draft controller comprising, in combination a pair of Wings movable on parallel axes, a pair of arms connected thereto and crossing each other, a dash pot connected to the arms to control their speed of' movement, and variable counterweight means associated with the dash pot and arms.

4. The hereindescribed automatic draft controller comprising, 1n combination, a pivoted Wing, an arm rigidly connected thereto, a counter-Weight connected to the arm, a bumper to limit the swing of the arm and Wing, and a dash pot carried by the bumper and connected to the arm to govern its rate of movement and force ofitsy impact against the bumper.

The hereindescribed automatic draft controller comprising, in combination, a pivoted Wing, an arm connected thereto, a counterivieght connected to the arm, an adjustable bumper to variably limit the swinging movement of the arm and Wing, andv a dash pot carriedl by the bumper and ad.- justable therewith to govern the rate of movement ofthe arm'.

6. The hereindescribecl automatic draft points near the ends of said bar to said controller comprising, 1n combination, a arms, and means to control the extent of pair of Wings, a pair of arms connected movement oi the arms.

thereto and extending approximately op- ARTHUR W. ARNOLD. 5 positely therefrom, eounterweight means Witnesses:

comprising a long horizontal bar, a pair of F. E. ARNOLD7 links extending from Widely separated CLARENCE ALEXANDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

